


The old house, twenty feet from the road

by vixevilcat7



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Revenge, brought back from death, ghost story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-20
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-29 02:46:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30149547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vixevilcat7/pseuds/vixevilcat7
Summary: Muggle. AU. AT. Modern semi-college setting. Ghost story from my childhood.Hermione broods over her past. Thorfinn gets flirty.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Thorfinn Rowle
Kudos: 13
Collections: vixevilcat7





	1. Chapter 1

Hermione stared at the old rundown house. She hated this place. It had taken her beloved brother two years earlier and nobody believed her! They all pooh-poohed the old legend surrounding the house. She KNEW it was no legend. Somewhere in the old house, the old man lurked, just waiting every year for more teenagers to fall into his trap. She knew the legend inside and out. She knew it could be ended. Her great grandmother had told her how to end it. But she couldn’t do it herself. Girls were too susceptible to the influence of the house. It was the very reason she’d lost Henry. He had sacrificed himself to get her out of the house!

She climbed into her car and headed back to school after one last look at the house. She still had a tutoring session with the conceited fullback on her school’s football team. He was in danger of losing his football scholarship if he didn’t pull up his English grade. She didn’t mind their sessions, even though he flirted outrageously with her. He was very gorgeous and his teammates weren’t half bad, either. Rowle could have any girl on campus and, according to the grapevine, had actually had most of the girls on campus. He was very much a player and had quite the love ‘em and leave ‘em reputation. 

Thorfinn Rowle showered after football practice. He made sure to neatly trim his beard and tie his hair back sleekly. He had to look good for his tutor. She was quite the little looker but he hadn’t managed to break through her defenses yet. He was confident that it would only be a matter of time, though, before she fell into his arms. 

“So, how long are you going to keep pretending to her that you need a tutor? Your grade has been more than good enough for the past month, Thorfinn.” Corbin Yaxley said, teasing him about her.

Thorfinn smiled. “Well, if my teacher hasn’t seen fit to rat me out to her, then who am I to tell her? It’s his job to let her know her tutoring paid off, not mine.”

“Maybe he’s leaving Finn with her until he’s SURE he’s not gonna fall behind again.” Anthony Dolohov suggested. Thorfinn raised a sarcastic brow at him. He shrugged and laughed. 

“Well, I’m with Thor. She’s a looker. It gives me something to look at besides his ugly mug.” Alex McKeon teased his roommate. Thorfinn flipped him off, frowning comically at him. 

The boys all walked out of the dressing room and across campus. They were seniors so they weren’t in the traditional dorms. They were in the apartments. They were all anxious to reach their place. Hermione would be there any time now. It was the unspoken highlight of their week, watching her attempt to tutor Thorfinn while he flirted up a storm with her. 

Hermione pulled into the parking lot of the senior apartments. ‘Lucky dogs!’ they had more leeway in their place and could come and go as they pleased. She was still in the regular dorms and had a strict curfew. If she was out later than curfew, she better damn well remember her code to get the door open! As of yet, she’d only been locked out twice. Both times, she’d had to call the campus police because she couldn’t remember the code to open the door. Now she made sure not only to keep it memorized but also stored and changed weekly on her phone. No more getting locked out for her!

She reached into the back seat for her back pack. She never went anywhere without it. It held all her books, money, student id and driver’s license. Plus she kept a change of clothes in it, just on the off chance that she DID get locked out again. As she was headed in the door, she felt her pack lifted off her shoulder. She whirled around to see Rowle grinning down at her, holding her bag. Behind him, Yaxley, Dolohov and McKeon were sniggering. She laughed and shook her head. 

They walked up to the boys’ apartment. “Ok. Rowle. You ready to buckle down tonight? Your final exam is next week. Remember what you need to make to pass this class.” She lectured. Rowle just smiled at her back.

“How about this? We’ve been nonstop studying for weeks now. Let’s do something different this time.” Rowle told her. 

“Like what?” Hermione flicked a brow. She and Rowle were sitting in the living room. The other boys drifted in, one by one. 

“Tell me a story.” He suggested. Hermione tipped her head at him. She thought of telling him about the house. Then she changed her mind. She couldn’t drag an innocent person into her own personal vendetta with the house. 

“A story, hmm. Ok. Here goes. Listen closely, Rowle. There might be a pop quiz at the end.” Hermione crossed her legs. “Once upon a time, there was a football team headed for State. This was a very well performing team except for one detail. They were missing their star fullback. Why, you might ask? Well, I’ll tell you why. Their star fullback had failed his English class because he didn’t want to study for his final exam.” The other guys were laughing as they face palmed. Thorfinn was grinning widely as he leaned back and listened. “Now can you tell me the moral of this story?”

“Um, study for my final so I don’t miss out on going to State?” he guessed. Hermione grinned at him sweetly. 

“Oh, you caught on quickly!” she chuckled. He laughed heartily as he opened his book. She opened her own copy and checked to see where they’d left from their last session. They moved quickly through the needed three chapters as he answered all the questions correctly. As they finished the last chapter, he grew restless again. By now, she knew what to watch for. He’d begin to fidget and flirt with her. Instead he surprised her. 

“Now, tell me the story you wanted to tell me earlier.” He leaned towards her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.


	2. Part ghost story, part known facts, part speculation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For the record, there is no known case involving this story. The ‘facts’ are added purely for plot. 
> 
> Hermione tells a story. The boys are enthralled. Hermione reveals a painful incident from her past. Thorfinn offers comfort.

Hermione tilted her head at him. “Are you absolutely sure you want to know it?”

Thorfinn nodded slowly. “It’s important to you or you wouldn’t be so hesitant about telling it. Would you?”

Amazed that the big blonde had read her so easily, Hermione sat back. “Ok. If you really want to hear it, I’ll tell you a story.” Thinking of how to start it, her eyes fell on Tony. “YOU probably will recognize it when I get so far in the story.” Tony looked slightly surprised. “You’ve heard the end of it in history class.” Tony leaned forward in interest. 

“So, this story is part ghost story, part known facts and part speculation. Teenagers use it as a ghost story during slumber parties and sleepovers. That is actually where I first heard it. When I went home the next day and asked my great grandmother about it, she confirmed it. Some people treat it as a ghost story. Others regard it as an urban legend. It depends really on who you talk to and how much they actually believe the story.” She pulled her feet up under her as she turned to face Finn. 

“There’s a house outside of town, that way.” She pointed south. “If you go to watch a movie or anything else, you’re bound to have seen it. It sits about twenty feet away from the road, huge showcase of a house.” Alex perked up.

“Across from our trail. That big rundown house?” he asked. She looked at him inquiringly. 

“There’s a trail across the road. We go hiking up there. It ends at this huge meadow, about the size of the football field. It’s our hideout whenever we want to get drunk, toss the pigskin and hide from our girlfriends.” Alex grinned mischievously at Thorfinn. “Or hide from Thor’s latest conquest.” Thorfinn rolled his eyes and grinned, flipping Alex off again. 

“I’m not sure I needed to know that.” Hermione laughed. “But yes, that old rundown house. It’s been sitting there ever since I can remember. My mom and dad say it’s been there ever since they can remember. My great grandmother swears that she went to school with the girls who lived there. She’s almost 103 years old, so possibly she might be the only one I would trust, as far as how true this story is.” 

“Damn, that’s one old bird!” Alex exclaimed, without thinking. Then he cringed. “Oh. Uh, sorry. No offense to her.”

Hermione giggled. “No offense taken, Alex. She’s very outspoken and she’d actually be the first one to agree with you.” Alex smiled in relief.

She thought for a moment. “Ok. So the story starts with a man named Abraham Walters. He had a wife, Lucinda, and four daughters, Joselyn, Nellie, Bridget and Allison. He was very much a strict, overprotective daddy.” Cory shook his head, thinking of his own father and younger sisters. 

“That is never a good sign.” He said. Hermione agreed with him. Her own father had always been slightly overprotective of her. 

“Exactly, Cory. He didn’t like the idea of his girls associating with the other children. He wanted Lucinda to homeschool them. She talked him into letting them attend public school. They were very strictly supervised at home. They weren’t allowed to have friends over. They weren’t allowed to visit friends. So, no slumber parties, sleepovers or what have you. They weren’t allowed to attend any kind of parties. Their own celebrations were very quietly attended.” She paused.  
Tony had squeezed his eyes shut. “This isn’t going to end well. I can already tell that.”

“No, it doesn’t end well at all, Tony.” Hermione said with a sigh.

“They did have friends. As I said, my great grandmother swears she went to school with them. But they were all just at school friends. They were pretty girls, according to her. Very popular, which is a shame that they weren’t allowed to socialize with anyone. They met four boys, Louis, Matthew, Jacob and Adrian. They would later go on to marry these boys. But at this time, they just wanted friends. Their father would walk them to and from school every day. They had no chance to play after school or anything. They would go straight home and do their homework and chores, then sit with their parents the rest of the evening.” Hermione propped her chin on her hand as she related this part of the story. 

“All of this, about their home life, by the way, is pure speculation from neighbors questioned about them. As they got older and more interested in the four boys, however, these restrictions really began to chafe at them. They wanted a more active social life. Their father refused to allow it. Eventually, one night, all four girls eloped.” Hermione picked at her nails. The boys were listening intently. Tony was waiting to hear why he would recognize the end of the story. 

“Their father was fighting mad. He forbade them to EVER set foot on his and with their husbands. He vowed he’d kill them all. So that set a feud into motion. The girls tried to keep in touch with their mother, anyway. Since they were forbidden to set foot ON their father’s land, they compromised. Their mother would come to the boundary, which is the fence around their yard. They would stand in the road and talk to her. There was nothing the old man could do to stop them. They WEREN’T on his land.” Hermione shrugged. “That’s how Lucinda met her sons in law and her grandbabies.”

Cory got up and went to the kitchen. He asked Hermione if she was thirsty. Then he grabbed five soft drinks and brought them back. Handing them around, he sat back down. “Ok. So to recap so far, the old man was so strict that the four daughters have eloped and now have families.”

“Yes. They raised their children and sent them out in the world. It was about this time, old man Abraham decided he wanted his daughters back home. He knew, as long as they believed he’d kill their husbands, there was no way on God’s green earth they’d come back home. So he set out to find out as much as possible about them from his wife. He was going to extend an olive branch, so to speak.” Hermione chuckled and shook her head. 

“So he tells Lucinda to let them know he wants to shake hands and make up, meet the husbands. Well, the daughters were naturally a little suspicious until they spoke to him personally. He asked them to come home and bring their husbands, it wasn’t right for families to be apart like this, yada, yada, yada. They fell for it, hook line and sinker.” Hermione shifted slightly. 

“So they bring their husbands and come home. Now here is where the story gets twisted but quite a bit of it is public record also.” Tony sat forward alertly. “They were home one week. Just one week. They laughed, cried, hugged and celebrated being one big, happy family. The last night of the week is when everything came to a hard, screeching halt. All week, Abraham had played nice with the sons in law. That night he sent the daughters upstairs with their mother. He wanted some ‘quality, bonding time’ with the men.” All four boys face palmed at this point.” This is where the story starts getting gory, fair warning.” 

“While the women were upstairs laughing, gossiping, sewing and doing needlepoint, he proceeded to kill them. He had poisoned certain dishes served at the table that night, dishes he knew only the men would eat. It was a slow acting poison and it basically slowed down their reflexes. Louis never left the table. Matthew was standing in front of a wall of portraits looking at the ones of his wife.” Hermione saved these two for last. 

“The other two, Jacob and Adrian, followed Abraham upstairs. Jacob was unsteady and held the banister. Abraham had carved a narrow niche all the way down and filled it with razorblades. Jacob, due to the poison in his system, didn’t feel his hands being cut until it was too late. The stairs were high and narrow. Abraham grabbed him and hauled him into the bathroom to ‘dress his wounded hands’. What actually happened was he sat him down to soak his hands while he took care of Adrian.” Hermione looked at the boys. 

“Abraham had an axe hanging on the wall. Adrian was shown a view of the grounds from a window. While he was looking outside, Abraham swung the axe at the back of his head and almost completely decapitated him. He just left him lying there at the window, in plain sight. Then he went back to the bathroom.” Hermione took a deep breath. Cory, Alex and Thorfinn looked shocked. Tony had a hand held up, looking as if he was keeping count. 

“Jacob had heard the thumps from in the bathroom. He was coming to see what was causing the commotion he heard. Abraham herded him back in and took out a bottle of what he said was ointment for his hands. It actually turned out to be acid. Abraham threw it in his face, hauled him into the hallway and shoved him backwards, down the stairs. He ended up dying of a broken neck.” Hermione took a swig of her drink. 

“Louis, the one left at the table, remember him? He sat there and died, eating his favorite dessert. Now Matthew was a slightly different case. He hadn’t eaten as much as the rest of them. The poison wore off faster. He came to the stairs in time to see Jacob fall down them and Abraham standing up top. He ran out the door and tried to go get help. Abraham hurried down the steps to stop him. He had a shotgun rack by the door. The guns stayed loaded. He made it to the bottom of the stairs in time to shoot Matthew in the back. He fell dead in the middle of the yard.” Hermione looked at Tony who nodded. He remembered the case she was talking about now. 

“The women had finally realized something was going on. When they heard that shotgun boom, they came running down to see what was going on. Allison saw Adrian lying at the window and began screaming hysterically. Bridget caught sight of Jacob as she came down the stairs. Joselyn found Louis and started crying. It was Nellie who then began threatening their father with the law. Apparently he had known they would react like this and made his preparations carefully. He’d laid a fully loaded pistol on the mantle in the living room. When they rushed in to confront him, he shot all of them, including Lucinda.” Tony had counted off the deaths as she named them. 

“Now, here is where it gets all twisted up. The neighbors heard all the shots going off and they were the ones who actually called the law. When the police got there, they found all four daughters, all four sons and Lucinda. They did not find Abraham. It was as if he’d vanished into thin air. They found the murder weapon but not the murderer. People speculated for years about what actually happened to him. Some people swear he did die, that he shot himself afterwards. Other people said they would see him out and about on the property for years afterward. The length of lawn in front of the house, have you ever noticed those stones all in a row there?” Alex nodded. The others hadn’t noticed. 

“Those are gravestones. The townspeople were absolutely horrified by the mass killing and refused to let any of them be buried in hallowed ground. So all nine of them were buried at the very house they were killed at. For years afterwards, nobody would go near that house. It stood empty because nobody wanted to buy it. Realtors tried desperately to sell it but every time they thought they had it sold, the renters would flee, claiming the house was haunted. Plus everyone knew and quickly clued new people in on the mass murder that had occurred there. It didn’t help get rid of the old place. So those are the speculations and facts known of the story.” Hermione stopped to close her eyes and take a deep breath.

“Now this is the actual ghost story. In the last thirty some odd years, a legend has sprung up about this house, a legend my great grandmother swears is true and can be ended.” Hermione sat forward and clashed her hands around her knees. It was hard for her to relate this part of the story. 

“It’s said that every year, that house comes alive. The lights will be blazing, music can be heard and sometimes the spirits of those lost can be seen and heard. BUT it’s only for one night of the year. The anniversary of the mass murder. It’s said that you can go in any time of the year, look around, explore and see where everything happened. But if you go in on THAT NIGHT, you best be back out by midnight. If not, you get trapped and taken by the house and property. Now some people swear the time varies. Someone will tell you midnight. Others will say dawn. My great grandmother swears it’s midnight and so that’s the time I always go by.” Hermione sighed.

“Over the years, there have been quite a few mysterious disappearances and the last place any of those people were seen was that old house. Almost all of them were young men who just vanished. There were, I think, two girls who disappeared. Great grandmother Willa swears that it’s not good for girls to go in at ANY time. Girls are drawn to the house, you understand. They don’t want to leave. So they are usually left out in the road to be anchors, so to speak, for the boys who go in. It’s become something of an ultimate dare around here. See who can go in and make it back out by midnight. Unfortunately, it always seems to backfire. The girls who are left behind refuse to talk about it.” She looked down.

Cory leaned forward. “Are you one of the ones left behind, Hermione?” It seemed, to him, like too much of a coincidence that she knew the ‘dare’ always backfired.

She looked up at them, tears shining brightly in her eyes. “In a manner of speaking, yes. I also went into the house.” They all widened their eyes. ‘THAT was unexpected!’

“It was two years ago. You remember my brother, Henry? He was on the football team. He was a full back, same as you.” She said, looking at Thorfinn. He remembered who she meant. Henry had been the first string player. Thorfinn had been the benchwarmer at that time. Cory, Alex and Tony remembered him, too. 

“You’re his younger sister?” Cory asked. Hermione laughed. It had always been an inside joke with her and Henry. 

“Um, no. If I was his younger sister, there would be no way I could be a tutor to this big boy.” She jerked her thumb at Thorfinn. “I’m his twin. Much smaller than him clearly, but the same age.” She indicated her slight build. 

Cory bit his lip in amusement. “My bad, sweetie. I honestly didn’t realize Henry had a twin. I always thought you were younger than him.”

Hermione smiled. “We do have a younger sister who looks a lot like me. She’s a junior now. That’s no doubt who you’ve seen around campus. I’m not very social. Not since that night. At the time we lost Henry, she had just started here. She wasn’t with us that night, thank god for small favors.”

“Why do you say it like that?” Tony asked, glad to finally know the full story now. He’d always heard the end of the story. But never the first of it and certainly never the ‘ghost story’ attached to it. 

“Because the legend is true. If you go in that house on the anniversary and you’re not out of the house and off the property by midnight, you die. That’s what happened to Henry.” The boys looked at each other, then her. “You don’t believe me, either. That’s natural, I suppose. It does sound crazy but the legend is true.” She insisted. 

“Ok. The legend is true. Tell us about that night, the night you lost Henry.” Tony said. Hermione chewed her nail as she looked at them, one by one. ‘Would they honestly believe her? Harmony didn’t and she was her own sister!’ She jumped as Thorfinn reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. He smiled and nodded encouragingly at her. 

“It was two years ago, this Friday night. My sister Harmony had one of her friends over. We were all hanging out, telling ghost stories and this one came up. At that time, I didn’t think it was real, either. Me or Henry. We were laughing at them for being so freaked out over it. We left and met up with some of his friends and their girlfriends. When they heard about the story, they were all for going over there. So we went.” Hermione took a calming breath as she paused. 

“Once we were there, the other girls decided they didn’t want to go in. They’d stay outside and be ‘the anchors’. I was the only girl in the group that went in that night. I was appointed to be the one to keep track of time. We were looking around and I got so immersed in looking at the pictures I forgot to check the time. Before I knew it, I was hearing screams and shouts from all around the house. I was in the living room. I didn’t want to leave. Henry was already out of the house before he realized I wasn’t behind him. He actually came back in to get me. We were outside and he was shoving me towards the gate. ‘Run, Hermione, hurry, run! You’ve got to run, hurry! We’re almost out of time! Go, run!’ he was yelling at me.” Hermione was gasping, almost crying. Thorfinn reached out and hesitated. He glanced at Cory. Cory nodded at her. Thorfinn pulled her against him. Hermione didn’t fight the embrace. 

“I ran through the gate and the other girls were there, waiting for me. Henry was supposed to be right behind me. He didn’t make it through the gate. I turned around and he was sinking. I tried to grab his hands. ‘No, Hermione! Get back! Get back!’ he screamed at me. He was pulled into the ground. The other guys had been killed in the house. I was responsible for their deaths. I was supposed to let them know when we needed to leave. If I’d done what I was supposed to do, Henry would still be alive today. It was my fault! He came back for me! He was already safe! He was outside, with a clear shot at the gate! He died because I was too stupid to watch the time!” Hermione sobbed quietly. Thorfinn rubbed soothing circles on her back as the other boys stared down at the floor.


End file.
